Brothers Forever Interview

Winyan Press asks each of its authors prior to the release of their newest books to either do a video interview or a blog post. Yeah, me and videos is not gonna happen… LOL, so I elected to do a blog posts.

Right now, I am planning the release of Brothers Forever which is a fictional crime drama that centers around two men, Charles and Dimitri, that develop a friendship for the ages, that is until Estelle comes into the picture and turns their world upside down and no, there is no love triangle so don’t freak out… LOL.

Tell a little about yourself, in case people don’t know you.

Well, I would say, go check out my biography page on my website. Just kidding J . For those that don’t know me, my name is T.M. Witko. I am a licensed clinical psychologist, a full-time writer/editor and one of the co-founders of Winyan Press, LLC, an independent publishing house geared at helping female writers find their voice. When I first started writing I thought that I had to pick one particular style and write just in that style but then I met several writers that were considered multi-genre authors and realized that I could do all the things I enjoyed. Thus, I consider myself a multi-genre author who writes Young Adult & New Adult Fiction, Crime/Suspense/Thrillers, Adult Romance, and Native American Fiction.

Tell us about your upcoming novel.

Brothers Forever is my first crime drama and centers around two men, opposite in every way but one, their love for one another. Their friendship started when they were very young and continued to early adulthood when things happened that made them part ways, not too amicably either. YIKES! Oh, did I mention that it’s a mafia tale? Yeah, love me some gangsters. So, years later, when Charles is an adult with children of his own, he finds himself in a situation where his son is threatened. Unable to leave things to chance he seeks out revenge on the woman who tried to kill her son but in the process he is forced to call on his friend and brother, Dimitri, for help, BUT! It’s not as simple as just asking for a favor. According to tradition, if Charles enters Chicago again he will be killed. Will Dimitri follow tradition or will he hear him out?

What was the hardest part about writing this book?

I think the hardest thing about writing this story was making sure that, even though my two main characters are men who have done bad things, that people see that in their hearts, they have goodness that shines through. Of course, that doesn’t diminish the things they’ve done but, it’s sort of looking at the gray within them. It’s not a simple right or wrong with Charles and Dimitri. So walking that line of showing their love and devotion to one another while also showing their ‘bad’ side was definitely a struggle at times.

What was the easiest thing about writing this book?

The easiest thing to write was definitely Charles and Dimitri’s friendship. It just came easy for me to show this bond between the two of them, a bond that was formed out of commitment and love. I’m sure we have all had people in our lives that have altered us in ways that are irreversible. In books we often see that with female characters but not so much with male characters. When its there it is amazing to watch. Seeing the relationship with Charles and Dimitri was like that for me and knowing that Charles leaving was literally the hardest thing he had ever done in his life, was heartbreaking. It was something that left a huge hole in both of them.

Who is your favorite character and why?

I can’t pick between my boys because I seriously love them both. I will say that I really enjoyed writing Estelle and think that I put a lot of myself in her. Not only was she becoming a psychologist but she was with a man that clearly was walking a thin line between good and bad. I tried to imagine myself in her shoes and some of the things she says or does are things I know I would have said or done. But, I also love Benny Elkins, who is Charles private eye buddy. He’s definitely a rough around the edges character that I had a blast writing. I’ll let you in on a little secret about Benny, I totally visualized Steve Buscemi in that role, so every time Benny said or did something that’s who I saw doing it… LOL

Who do you love to hate and why?

I think the person, well really people, I dislike the most in this story are both Charles and Dimitri’s fathers. Charles dad makes minimal appearances in the story but when he does, you just want to bang his head against the wall, and while Dimitri’s dad never makes an appearance we know about him and want to hurt him for the way he acts. We know through Dimitri how he makes him feel and that he was not very supportive. Neither of these boys had loving and caring parental figures.

Without giving any spoilers what do you think will surprise people most about this story?

Hmmm, I think maybe the end will surprise people the most. And it might be more surprising for their own sense of right and wrong versus being surprised by what actually happens. That probably doesn’t make much sense but it will once you read it… LOL

Will there be a follow up to this novel?

No, this is a stand-alone book but we will see a character or two in another series I am writing that is also based out of Chicago. There is some information on that in the Authors Note at the end of the book.

Will you be signing your books anywhere this year?

Yes, I have at least one solid book signing arranged and that will be at Indie Bookfest in Orlando in September. That one is a multi-genre book convention so I’ll be signing all my books there. I am also hoping to be at the Killer Nashville Book Convention in August. That one is more crime/mystery/suspense focused. I’ll be sure to let people know once I am sure about that one. With me moving out of state this summer, my signings are a bit limited but once I get settled into my new home, I am positive I will have some other things lined up.

Is there anything else you would like people to know about?

I think mostly I want to say, review. A simple ‘I really liked this book.’ is all it takes. As an Indie author reviews are really important in getting the word out about a book. There are no big marketing pushes so reviews let people know to check out an author. Let’s face it, people are more likely to try a product if it has some reviews. The same goes for stories.